Rhoda Lesser Diamond ’42, of Martha’s Vineyard, and Leon Starr ’40, of Rye, New York, were the oldest Harvard and Radcliffe alumni present on Commencement Day. Each wore rain gear and had seats on the Tercentenary Theatre stage (to avoid the sloppy weather) during the afternoon program, when they were publicly honored by Harvard Alumni Association president Martin J. Grasso Jr. ’78. “I was here 70 years ago when George Marshall delivered his famous speech that saved the world,” noted Starr, “and now we’re here and going to hear from Mark Zuckerberg about the Brave New World.” Starr turns 99 in June and was accompanied by his wife, Jacquie, and his son, Jonathan ’69. Asked about how he’s lived so long, and so well, Starr credited “clean living, lots of exercise. I played tennis and squash. And the love of two good women.” (“He means me, and his first wife,” a smiling Jacquie piped up.) Nearby, the 96-year-old Diamond said she had traveled from her island home “to celebrate my seventy-fifth reunion.” She was flanked by her sons, Paul ’82 and John, a Yalie, who quipped: “We’ve always been a Yale-Harvard family—but we’re more Harvard today.”
Harvard Commencement’s oldest alumna and alumnus
Harvard Commencement’s oldest alumna and alumnus
The oldest graduates at Commencement
Leon Starr and Rhoda Lesser Diamond brave the inclement weather on Commencement Day.
Photograph by Jim Harrison
You might also like
At Harvard Talk, Retired Supreme Court Justice Breyer Defends Shadow Docket
The current law professor also spoke about affirmative action, partisanship, and the limits of “bright-line rules.”
Harvard Alumni Honored for University Service
The 2026 Harvard Medal recipients will be honored on June 5.
For This Poet, AI is a Writing Partner
Sasha Stiles trained a chatbot on her manuscripts. Now, her poems rewrite themselves.
Most popular
Explore More From Current Issue
This Harvard Graduate Brings Women of the Revolution to Life
Historical reenactor Lauren Shear reveals tricks of the trade for playing Tory loyalists, Revolutionary poets, and more.
The Woman Who Penned the Case for War
Mercy Otis Warren’s poetry and plays incited the Patriot movement.